Beneath the Falls
by Aidan J S Cross
Summary: Adam and Teela are called to a peaceful kingdom to investigate a series of strange disappearances around the kingdom's falls. When Teela goes missing herself, Adam's search for her leads to an adventure more spine-chilling than he would ever have imagine


BENEATH THE FALLS

by 

Aidan Cross

09/20/02

* * *

The waves of the Harmony Sea turned obediently at every swish of his sword, as Merman swam through the watery depths towards the rocky shores of a remote part of the ocean. The scaly, green-skinned lord of the ocean had been swimming for days to find the source of power that seemed to be beckoning him. For these last few days, his senses, enhanced in the depths of the ocean, had strongly detected vibrations which seemed to be emanating from a great power source. He could not help but feel the instinct that whatever he was sensing would provide him with wealth, power and everything he had ever wanted. The power to overthrow Skeletor, and take over the leadership of Eternia's Dark Forces. Maybe even the power to overthrow King Randor, the planet's ruler who was hopelessly devoted solely to land matters, without sufficient regard for the creatures of the ocean. But ultimately, Merman felt the instinct that whatever he was sensing would provide him with everything he could possibly need for himself, and himself alone. This power source seemed to exist specially for Merman. He knew his search would not come to nothing. As he swam further and further, commanding the movement of the waves with the blade of his sword, he finally saw a rocky cliff side approaching in the distance. He was nearing land, and the source of power felt even closer. Every muscle of his green, scaly form pulsated with excitement as he came nearer and nearer to his goal. This would be the key to obtaining everything he had ever needed! This would imbue him with power over the actions of all those who dared oppose him, so they would no longer pose any threat! 

Ascending through the water, Merman raised his gruesome head above the surface of the sea for the first time in days, and took a glance at the world of the air-breathers. In front of him was a rocky cliff, down which streamed a beautiful, delicate waterfall, its waters shimmering golden in the rays of the sunlight. Merman knew where he was. He had arrived at the Falls of Harmony, which trickled down from the land of the small kingdom of Equamore. This kingdom was isolated and had little to do with the rest of Eternia, for the people of the kingdom had sworn to eternal peace many centuries ago. They had chosen to isolate themselves from the rest of the planet during the great war between the Elders of Grayskull and the Snake Army, deciding their kingdom should become a solitary haven for permanent peace, love and harmony. It had remained virtually untouched by anyone from outside the kingdom ever since. The falls, legend said, were imbued with the love and peace of all people of the kingdom, and it was through the falls that the people of Equamore sent out their sentiments of peace to the rest of the planet. 

Merman had never been around this part of the ocean before. Equamore, he had always felt, should be left to its own devices. If its residents had believed throughout history that they should cut themselves off from the rest of the world and live a boring, solitary existence, it was their choice and they were best left uninterrupted. But at this moment, Merman felt that the key to his eternal well being lay beneath the falls of Equamore. He would not miss his chance to get his hands on it, even if his life depended upon it. Beneath the falls lay wealth, power and the guarantee of eternal respect from others. In intense excitement, Merman swam towards the falls, closed his eyes, and took an immense dive beneath them. 

He then raised his head above water once again, and opened his eyes. His eyes widened in amazement at the incredible and terrifying sight he saw….. 

* * *

FOUR MONTHS LATER 

Although the sky above the Royal gardens was only just beginning to darken, Prince Adam felt ready for bed. His constant action as He-Man, the defender of Eternia, had worn him out to the point of total exhaustion. Today he and his lifelong mentor, Duncan, better known as Man-At-Arms, had been defending a small peasant village on the other side of the kingdom of Eternos from a savage group of bandits. It definitely wasn't the most difficult job he'd ever done, and all the villains were now securely imprisoned in Eternos Jail, but it sure had been tiring, nevertheless. Sometimes he wished he could just have a break from all this non-stop action. 

As Adam lay down on the grass, his pet tiger, Cringer, looked exhausted too. No surprise there, as Cringer had been helping him out day by day, in the form of the fearless Battle Cat. Cringer lay slumped by Adam's side amongst the blades of grass, surrounded by the flower bed, its exotic flowers beaming down on the tired heroes. He looked like he needed a break too. Adam realised that both he and Cringer seemed on the verge of drifting off to sleep any minute, so he decided they would be best off just retiring to bed right away. With one huge strain of effort, Adam flexed his arm muscles and lifted his tired form off the grass, slowly pulling himself to his feet. Then he bent down, and gently tapped Cringer on the head to wake him up. 

"Wake up, Cringer." He said. "Don't worry, it's not another emergency this time. I'm just off to bed for an early night. You coming with me?" 

Slowly, the green and yellow-striped tiger, as faithful to Adam now as he had been on the day Adam had found him, opened his eyes, yawned and pulled himself to his four feet, in much the same way that Adam had just done. Then he followed his master across the lawn to the palace. 

As Adam and Cringer headed down the palace corridor towards the Prince's bedroom, their way was suddenly obstructed by the form of a beautiful woman, the same age as Adam, dressed in a tight combat uniform, with elegant long, flowing red hair drifting down her back. It was Teela, the Prince's childhood friend and personal bodyguard. 

"And where do you think you're going?" said Teela, her hands on her hips. 

"To bed." replied Adam, lowly. "I've had enough action today." 

"You're going to bed?!" Teela replied, shocked. "But it's only the start of the evening! And what do you mean, enough action? As far as I've seen, you've just been lazing about in the garden all day with that useless cat! You constantly amaze me with how lazy you are!" 

Adam sighed to himself. He had to take this abuse from Teela every day. Since Teela spent most days training the guards, or out on some kind of adventure with He-Man, she was left to assume that Adam was just lazing around, unaware as she was that he and He-Man were one and the same. Adam was tempted to just tell her his secret, but he knew that to do so would be to violate the rules of Grayskull, and he would risk losing his position as Grayskull's defender. Not that he would really mind that at this moment, given how tired he was, but he wasn't going to let a bit of exhaustion affect his long-term judgement. What was particularly frustrating him was that he really loved Teela, but she never gave him the respect he wanted and deserved. He'd only ever get that as He-Man, while she went on about how lazy and useless Adam was. 

"How can you be so tired when you've done so little?" said Teela, both perplexed and angry. "It's time for your training lesson, anyway, so get into gear and come out to the training grounds!" 

Adam was not in the mood for this. As much as he liked training with Teela, he knew he didn't even need warrior training as desperately as she thought, given that as He-Man, he was probably the most skilled warrior on the planet. He wasn't going to go along with her when he was this tired. He didn't like it, but he knew he'd have to speak back to her firmly. 

"Look, Teela," he said, "I'm worn out. Believe it or not, I've had plenty of action these last few days, and I'm exhausted. I'm not gonna go and train with you in this state. Give me some rest, and we'll train in the morning. Come on, Cringer." he set off down the hall, passing by Teela in the direction of his room. 

Teela turned and followed him, frustrated. "I just don't get you sometimes, Adam. What kind of action can you get involved in to make you this tired? Is it possible that reading and playing silly games can be that exhausting?" 

"Don't give me any hassle, Teela. I'm not in the mood for it now. Don't make me shout at you, I'm not up for another of those scenarios at this time." 

"Well, I can see how tired you are, so I'll leave you to it- but I'm not gonna pretend I understand how so little action can make you this tired. But you'd better be up early in the morning. Not for training, but because we've had an urgent call, and my father wants us both to go out and investigate." 

"Huh?" Adam said, half-turning round. He hoped he hadn't heard her correctly. Surely not another day of action, he'd been hoping for a quiet rest the following day. 

"We've had a call from the kingdom of Equamore." Teela said. "For the last few months there's been a series of strange disappearances around the Falls of Harmony. People have been heading towards the falls, and completely vanishing without a trace. Coming from Equamore, this is very strange news, as their kingdom has always been supposedly the most peaceful place on Eternia, nothing's gone wrong there in centuries! So you and I have gotta set out and see what's going on. The Equamorians don't want to investigate themselves because it would be too dangerous, and we know how they hate anything that disrupts peace. So be up in the morning- we've gotta set out as soon as the sun rises!" 

"Sure, see you then Teela." Adam said, unenthusiastically. What was she on about… Equamore… something about the mention of that place struck Adam as both interesting and strange, but he couldn't be bothered to process it now. Frustrated as he was at having to face another day of action tomorrow, he would deal with the matter in the morning. Followed by Cringer, he slunk into his room, collapsed on the bed without even bothering to undress, and went straight to sleep. 

* * *

Adam was woken by the rays of sunlight seeping through his window in the morning. He yawned, stretched, and inched his legs off the bed and onto the floor. Cringer was still asleep, on the rug below. Stopping to collect himself, Adam remembered what Teela had said last night about him and her having to go on a mission together that day. Although Adam would have preferred a day of rest, he seemed to have had a pretty good sleep and had regained enough energy to tackle some action. But had she really said they had to go to Equamore, or did he dream that? What was it about that place that sounded so interesting to him? 

Refreshing his memory, Adam remembered what he knew of Equamore from his studies of Eternia. Of course… it was the tiny kingdom which had declared itself independent from the rest of the planet, thousands of years ago. The Equamorians had supposedly been living in a state of ultimate peace and harmony ever since the Great War, undisturbed by anything outside their kingdom. Adam had always found his studies of this place interesting, as he was intrigued by the concept of a whole kingdom- however small- living in a permanent state of luxury, without anyone within its grounds possessing any kind of corrupt or power-hungry desires. Since Adam found himself daily having to battle problems caused by people with the exact desires the Equamorians hated, he could really do with experiencing such a place right now. But he and Teela would only be called there if there was some kind of problem there… what could be going wrong in Equamore? He knew Teela had told him briefly last night, but in his tired state he hadn't really taken it in. Suddenly feeling excited to find out the problem, he got to his feet, went to his washroom and showered, then dressed and went to find Teela. 

Adam walked down the corridor, and knocked on Teela's bedroom door. After about five seconds, the door opened and Teela stood there, wearing only a towel, her beautiful red hair dripping with water. 

"Wow, Adam, you are downright unpredictable!" she said. "You're actually up before me!" 

"Yeah, I was quite interested to get going on this mission of ours." He said. 

"You, taking an interest? Now this is really something new!" 

"Not really, Teela… you know how hard I've always studied Eternia's history… so I'd obviously be pretty interested to get to Equamore. You did say Equamore, didn't you?" 

"Yes, I did!" she said. "You just wait out there and I'll be ready in a few moments!" She closed the door. Adam was quite disappointed that she hadn't allowed him in when she was unclothed. Obviously she'd want her privacy, but did this mean she didn't feel as intimately close to Adam as he did to her? He'd have allowed her in, if the positions were reversed… but he wasn't in the mood for wasting time worrying about such matters. He stood outside her room for the next few moments, then finally the door opened and Teela stood there fully dressed in her warrior outfit, her hair still wet although no longer dripping. 

"Good to see you so eager to get out, for a change." Teela said. "We've gotta get to the kingdom of Equamore because one of their leaders contacted us saying that there have been strange disappearances in the kingdom for the last four months or so. People have just been vanishing- simple as that- and all the disappearances seem to be occurring around the Falls of Harmony." 

"That's unusual!" remarked Adam. "How could something like that be happening in Equamore? It's meant to be the most peaceful place on the planet!" 

"I know," said Teela, "which is why we've gotta get this business sorted out right away. Hopefully it won't be too complicated, but whatever's going on there, we've gotta see to it! You ready to get going then?" 

"Ready as I ever am." smiled Adam. 

"Oh, so you're not ready at all then?" replied Teela, half-smiling. "You know what I mean!" laughed Adam. "Let's get going. I'll take Cringer with me." 

Several hours later, Adam and Teela were cruising through the blue skies of Eternia in the Wind Raider. Cringer slept behind them in the rear seat. Soon they saw a small array of gleaming purple towers in the distance below them, and several clusters of smaller buildings of a similar shade, covering the ground towards the edge of the land. 

"According to the map, that should be Equamore!" said Teela, piloting the Wind Raider downward towards the city. 

"And it sure does match its description!" said Adam. "Wow, I can feel the vibes of peace right now!" 

He looked down at the magnificent towers beneath them, their purple exteriors almost luminous, as beautiful as they were described in his history books. The whole place seemed radiant with an aura of incredible peace and tranquillity, like nowhere that Adam had seen before. 

The Wind Raider closed in on the stunning city, and landed by the tallest of the towers. A tall man, dressed in a long robe, the same purple color as the towers, stepped out to greet them. He looked like he was aged roughly mid-forties, and his head was covered by a mat of thin, light brown hair, while his face was ultimately calm and peaceful, his eyes radiant with friendliness. Although he had not even spoken yet, Adam found this man to have one of the warmest, most comforting presences he had ever felt. 

"Greetings, Prince Adam and Captain Teela." he said, in a soft, soothing voice. "I was told to expect you. I am Equallus, one of the leaders of Equamore. It is my pleasure to welcome you to our ever-peaceful city." 

Adam stepped out from the Wind Raider. Slowly, Cringer inched out alongside him, sticking close to his master, and Teela followed them out. 

"Pleasure to meet you, Sir." Adam said, reaching out and shaking Equallus' hand. "I have always wanted to visit your kingdom." 

"It is unfortunate that you have had to come here under unpleasant circumstances." said Equallus. "As you probably know, little ever happens in Equamore to disrupt the peace. We have had no serious problems here for many centuries. Yet these disappearances that have been occurring around the shore have become more frequent by the weeks, and remain unexplained, so we knew we had to summon someone here before the problem could excel beyond our control." 

"We'll do our best to solve the mystery as quickly as we can." said Teela. "It's a shame that such a peaceful place as this had to be faced with this kind of problem, but we'll soon get to the bottom of it!" 

"Hopefully your mission should not be too hard. It's best if you simply patrol the shore and keep a look out for anything that appears unusual." 

"How are the disappearances actually occurring?" asked Adam. 

"People have simply ventured out along the shoreline, and nothing of them has been seen nor heard since. Some of the disappearances have been very sudden. A girl was walking on the beach with her father a few days ago, and she says she basically turned around and he was no longer there. All the disappearances seem to have occurred around the Falls of Harmony. This is what confuses me the most, since the Falls have nothing dangerous within them whatsoever. They serve to spread all the love and harmony within our community. But nevertheless, that seems to be where the problem is occurring, so we've advised all the people not to venture near the Falls until a solution is found." 

Teela glanced around her, at the crowds of Equamorians passing through the streets, all appearing stunningly calm and peaceful, while children played in the gardens of the houses, which shimmered with a lustrous purple aura. "Everything here looks beautifully peaceful." she remarked. "But how can everyone be so calm when something so disturbing is happening?" 

"It has for a long time been the natural way of the Equamorians to avoid succumbing to any thoughts of stress or panic." replied Equallus. "No matter how distressing the situation may be, we remain as calm as possible, as we know that crises are best solved without panic. Positive vibes are the key to solving all problems." 

"Very true." said Adam, realising how much better he would feel if he didn't let his constant missions as He-Man stress him out so much. The Sorceress had always advised him to keep calm and think positively at all times. "We'll remember that while we deal with the problem." 

"Feel free to begin right away." said Equallus. "There will also be plenty of time for you to explore our kingdom and meet the people. If you need to stay here overnight, we have already prepared rooms for you both in the main tower." 

"I'm very grateful to you, Equallus." said Teela. 

"I'd love to explore the kingdom," said Adam, "but it's important that we see to the problem first. Let's go, Teela." 

"We wish you the best of luck." said Equallus. "May the Elders be with you." 

Adam and Teela made their way towards the shoreline, followed by Cringer. At the edge of one of the cliffs, where the grass receded as the ground turned rocky, they stopped and looked over into the horizon, at the Harmony Sea. The red sun of Eternia shimmered in the early afternoon sky, reflected beautifully in the calm, luxurious waters, its waves lapping lightly at the end of the beach below the cliffs. Over to their left, they saw the Falls of Harmony trickling down into the sea from the thin, gently winding River of Unity which flowed through Equamore. The sun illuminated its waters, causing them to shine with a golden splendour. 

"It's beautiful." remarked Teela, softly. "How could anything possibly be going wrong here? It's like… one of the most peaceful places I've ever seen. Wow, I could almost spend my entire life here." 

Adam nodded in agreement. At last he had got here… Equamore. And the books he had read sure weren't exaggerating about the kingdom's feeling of harmony. He felt so… relaxed, more than he had done in a long time. 

"I can definitely understand what Equallus was saying, about keeping calm in all situations." said Teela. "It's in places like this that you realise just how pointless it is to get stressed. I lose my temper far too much. Heck, I lose it with you all the time Adam. I shouldn't be like that. It'd be so much easier if I just kept calm." She turned her head, and looked directly into his eyes. He looked back at her, into her beautiful blue eyes, the sunlight reflected in her pupils. Now he saw the real Teela, the loving and compassionate girl beneath the hot-headed exterior. He just didn't see this side of her often enough. 

"You shouldn't let it get you down, Teela." Adam said. "Like the Equamorians say, think positively about everything. It's not just the Equamorians… it's been the general custom of the Eternians for centuries. Hence why most kingdoms on this planet have such an equal and just society. But when we get caught up in the affairs and problems of everyday life… we forget these things. We forget that calmness and passion will hold us all together." 

"I know…" said Teela, "I'm really sorry about all the times I get stressed with you, Adam. You must hate me so much at times. You know I don't really mean it… well, I get stressed a lot with all the responsibilities I have, and I guess… I let that get in the way of my love for the people close to me. We've grown up together, Adam… you know I could never hate you. Please don't take anything I say to heart." 

"I know." replied Adam. "Don't worry. I do sometimes get paranoid that maybe you don't like me and stuff… but I never hate you. You've always meant a lot to me, Teela. No matter how often you lose your temper with me, it won't make you any less precious to me. And I must have lost my temper with you quite a lot. Like when I snapped at you last night. You know…" 

"Yeah, I know." she said. "You let stress get in the way of your true feelings just the same way I do. I know you never mean anything bad. I guess we should both come to Equamore more often." 

"We don't have to come to Equamore to rediscover our true feelings. If we just keep calm at all times, everything will be much easier. It's just a shame we have to have our peace disrupted by Skeletor and people like him all the time. People who are so caught up in their own Ego that they totally lose touch with universal harmony. I hope that someday we can make Skeletor see the error of his ways." 

Teela nodded, and looked back at the beautiful sunlight as it shimmered over the ocean. "But speaking of Skeletor, and things that disrupt the peace, we'd better get back to doing what we're here for. Let's patrol the shoreline a bit, and see what we can find." 

"Sure thing." said Adam. "Let's split up and search different parts of the area. If I continue along the cliff side, you can go down to the beach and see if there's anything unusual down there." 

"Okay." said Teela. "I'll investigate near the falls." She reached into her belt, and pulled out two of Man-At-Arms' contact devices. She gave one of them to Adam. "We can use these contact devices to call one another if we find anything interesting, or if we need help." 

"I'll give you a buzz when I need to, Teela." said Adam. "Good Journey." 

"Good Journey." said Teela, and the two of them went their separate ways. 

Adam strolled along the cliff edge with Cringer, who began to shake with nervousness as they came closer to the edge. The cowardly cat, letting his extreme agitation get in the way of his inner bravery, dodged away from the edge and beneath his master's knees. 

"Don't worry, Cringer." Adam said. "You're not going to fall, I'll make sure of that. Just use your senses as much as you can, you might be able to pick up something that I couldn't." 

Obediently, Cringer began sniffing at the ground as he walked along his master's side. Adam took a glance behind him, and saw Teela making her way down the path which led down to the shore. She was soon out of sight, and Adam continued along the cliff edge, as Cringer persistently sniffed at the ground for any suspicious smells. 

It was hard to imagine anything going wrong here. It all seemed so peaceful, and there was no sign of anything unusual. But then, that was the whole mystery. After about a quarter of an hour, the Prince and his feline companion had found absolutely nothing, so Adam sat down on a small rock to rest briefly, looking ahead at the sea. 

Suddenly, Cringer began to sniff intensely, and ran over to his master, to evoke him to look at something. 

"What is it, Cringer?" said Adam. "What have you found?" 

Cringer began to dig his paws deep into the ground, and scraped at the grass frantically. Suddenly, he yelped and leaped away backwards in shock, as beneath the ground the heroes beheld the vision of a skeletal human hand holding a roll of parchment, and Adam smelled an unmistakable, biting odor… the odor of death. 

"By the Elders!" exclaimed Adam, and pulled out the Power Sword, using its blade to hack away at the ground. He used the sword to remove a turf from the clifftop, and the heroes found themselves looking down on the upper half of a decomposed human body, a few thin strands of flesh still hanging from the decrepit brown skull and rib cage. 

Cringer covered his eyes with his paws, and shook in fear. "Don't be afraid, Cringer." said Adam. "I don't know whose skeleton this is, but I'll get word to Teela right away." He bent down, and removed the roll of parchment from the skeletal hand. Unrolling it, he saw a faded inscription on the roll, in an ancient Eternian language. He could not quite recognise the symbols- but maybe Teela could. She was an expert in ancient Eternian languages. He pulled out his contact device, and punched in Teela's code. 

"Yes, Adam." came Teela's voice, sounding surprisingly sharp. "What do you want?" 

Adam ignored her seemingly sharp tones, assuming he was imagining it. "We've just found a human skeleton buried beneath the cliff." he said. "I don't know whose it is, but there was a roll of parchment in its hand, that has some kind of ancient inscription on it. Would you be able to come up here, so you can decipher the text? It might be unconnected, and the skeleton looks too old to be any of the missing people, but there is a chance it could provide us with some help in our mission." 

"Look Adam." replied Teela harshly. "I have no time for silly nonsense like this. Why do you have to waste my time so persistently?" 

Adam looked at Cringer in confusion, and his cat looked back, equally confused. Why was Teela speaking to him so harshly after the moments of emotional intimacy they'd just spent together? Before Adam could ask her anything, Teela continued: "I have much better things on my mind. I'm about to find everything I ever wanted. You'll soon look up to me like I was a goddess- and so will the rest of Eternia. There is power within inches of my grasp at this minute. Power, wealth, and everything I need to stop anyone who dares oppose me, and control puny idiots like you. It's all there just for me- and I'm not letting someone as pathetic as you stop me. Now good riddance!" There was a click on the line as she switched off her control device. 

Adam looked at Cringer with an expression of deep concern. "This is not normal." he said. "Something's seriously wrong here. I'll keep this roll of parchment with me. Now we'd better get over to the other side… and see what's up with Teela." 

He tucked the roll of parchment into his belt, then briskly hurried over to the other side of the clifftop, leaving the decomposed skeleton behind. Followed by Cringer, he descended the smooth gravel path that led down to the beach. He stepped onto the sand, and looked all around him for Teela. 

"Teela!" he called, "Teela, where are you?" 

The beach seemed completely deserted, and he heard no response. The only sounds he heard were that of the gentle breeze of the summer wind, combined with the comforting lash of the waves against the shore. 

He clambered over a small cluster of rocks covered in seaweed, taking care not to slip. The Falls of Harmony flowed gently in the distance, their golden waters dropping lightly into the sea. 

"Teela!" he called again. "Teela, if you're here answer me!" 

There was no response. Adam felt his heart pounding against his rib cage with severe concern. This was not looking good at all. Not only had Teela inexplicably snapped at him over the contact device, but she had come across as absurdly out of character. What was that she'd said about obtaining great power or something? That hadn't sounded like Teela at all. Since when had Teela ever been power hungry? It was more like the kind of thing that Skeletor would say. And hadn't she said something about wanting everyone to look up to her as superior? Teela had always been a strong believer in equality, it just wasn't natural that she would suddenly express dictatorial desires out of the blue. And now she seemed to have disappeared- in the exact same way that the missing Equamorians had. Adam knew now that his task today was not going to be easy at all. Something sinister was going on here- and he had to investigate and put a stop to it, whatever it may be. 

He pulled out his contact device, and punched in Teela's code once again. There came a beep on the other end. Adam waited for two whole minutes, but there was no response. He could not waste any more time. He had to investigate this mystery at once- and since the Falls of Harmony seemed to be the central spot around which the disappearances were occurring, he would have to go beneath the falls. 

He looked down at Cringer, who looked as concerned as him about the mystery. "Come on, Cringer, we've gotta get set for some action- we've got to go beneath the falls. And since it looks like it could be dangerous under there, it's best we investigate… as He-Man and Battle Cat." 

Adam reached behind his back, pulled out the Sword of Power, held it above his head, and shouted: 

"BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL…..  
I HAVE THE POWER!" 

A bolt of sizzling, crackling energy emerged from the sword's blade, and quickly exploded into a huge flare of bright, yellow mystical power, which surrounded the Prince's body entirely, transforming him from the regular young Prince to the mighty, muscular and power-abundant form of He-Man! A quick swish of the blade sideways sent a bolt of energy careening towards Cringer, and as it hit him, his frail feline form was engulfed by intense crackling energy, which increased his size to an almost gigantic proportion, then a helmet and saddle appeared over his body to complete his transformation into the incredible Battle Cat. 

He-Man leaped onto Battle Cat's back. "Let's go, Battle Cat." he said. "Towards the falls!" 

The great tiger moved stealthily over the rocks, his colossal paws clambering over even the roughest patches with incredible ease. As he neared the falls, He-Man drew his Power Sword once again, in case danger struck abruptly. He could sense something mystical beneath the falls. Evidently the answer to the mysterious disappearances of Teela and the Equamorians lay under those golden waters. He could sense vibes of great magic… great power. A source of power so strong that he simply had to reach it in order to discover its wonders. He had to hold this power within his very hands, possess it all for himself. As his steed inched closer and closer to the falls, the vibes of power became stronger… and He-Man could sense that the power was all there for him. The power he had been granted by Grayskull suddenly seemed insignificant as he realised the strength of the incredible power source which lay beneath the falls. This power would enable him to do far more than he had ever been able to do before. He would now become so powerful that he could control the universe at his own will. Every dream of his would become reality as he achieved the power to rise above everyone else to an almost god-like level. Skeletor would pose no threat whatsoever- He-Man's new power would make Skeletor kneel pathetically and helplessly at his feet. His power would be so strong that he could oust his weak father from the throne without trying, and rule this planet- maybe even the universe- in his own way. Even Man-At-Arms' teachings and skills would be reduced to insignificance. Man-At-Arms would join Skeletor, Randor, Teela, and the rest of Eternia as they bowed at He-Man's feet, in awe of his incredible power! He would have the wealth, the riches, the incredible material possessions to give him the highest status of anyone in the universe! He had no need for the companionship of any other living being! Looking down at the ferocious feline which he rode, He-Man laughed at its sheer feebleness. He had no need for Battle Cat any more! He was too strong to rely on this pathetic animal for anything, let alone transport! Abruptly, he leaped down from Battle Cat's back… but only just in time, for the great tiger simultaneously jerked backwards, showing that he had evidently been about to throw He-Man from his back. This feeble creature had the nerve to attempt to throw off the most powerful, superior man in the whole universe?! He-Man would not stand for that. He held his Power Sword in front of him, and snarled angrily at Battle Cat. 

"So, you attempt to throw me off?" He-Man growled at the animal. "Well I'll just take it that you realise how unworthy you are of my respect!" 

He was about to charge at Battle Cat, but Battle Cat, appearing more savage and ferocious than ever before, charged maniacally at He-Man like a raging monster, and leaped upon him, clawed at his legs and bit deeply into his chest. He-Man struggled to his feet, blood dripping from his chest. His face twisted into a demented sneer, he laughed at Battle Cat, and said, "You think you can hurt my great self? A pathetic, feeble animal like you? Well, think again, because I am about to obtain the power to condemn the likes of you to the darkest excesses of the Demon Zone! The power is waiting for me now- and just for me- beneath the falls!" 

Battle Cat's eyes widened in rage, and he emitted a huge roar from his mouth as if to say that the power was there for him, not for He-Man. He charged at He-Man, leaping upon him so heavily that He-Man fell backwards, into the sea with a large splash. He-Man kicked heavily at the water and rose back to the surface, brandishing his sword and firing a heavy power bolt at Battle Cat. Battle Cat dodged aside, and raced towards the falls as if about to obtain the greatest type of power imaginable. 

"There is nothing beneath the falls for you- only for me!" snarled He-Man, and swam at incredible speed towards the falls. Then he placed the sword back in its sheath, gripped the edges of the land with both hands, and with incredible force, propelled himself out of the water, headfirst towards the falls, passing through their waters, ready to gain the power that had been placed there for him. 

He emerged on the other side of the falls, in the cavern beneath them, ready to obtain the incredible power which lay there. But all of a sudden, there was a sound behind him, and He-Man spun round to see Battle Cat come bursting through the falls after him, his paws hitting He-Man's shoulders and knocking him forth into the rocky walls, and He-Man's head hit the rocks with an incredible blow so strong that it knocked him instantaneously unconscious. 

* * *

He-Man came round several hours later, and flickered his eyes open to see complete blackness above him. What had happened? It seemed as though he had been knocked unconscious somehow, and suffered a terrible dream about attacking his faithful friend Battle Cat, who had attacked him back as they fought to gain some kind of great power. What on Eternia could have made him dream something like that? Why would he dream about brutally attacking a creature so noble and faithful to him as Battle Cat? And the dream had seemed so real… he had actually felt some kind of completely irrational hatred for Battle Cat, as well as a hideously corrupt and demented hunger for power. Why would he have dreamed about having such evil sentiments? Even worse, in the dream Battle Cat had seemed to have similar feelings towards He-Man… he had charged at him with incredible anger and bit into his chest. He-Man was sickened to think that his own mind had conjured up such a nightmare. But how had he been knocked out? What could have happened? 

Before he could completely recollect his memory, he felt a deep, painful gnawing on his chest. He looked down at his muscular torso, to see a hideous black Drainer-Beetle biting and sucking at a bloody wound on his chest. With one swipe of his mighty arm, he swept away the beetle, which fell to the rocky ground and slipped into a tiny cavity between the rocks. He-Man then began to examine the wound… and realised to his horror that the terrible nightmare he had just suffered had all been real. The wound was in the exact spot where Battle Cat had bitten him in the dream. It had been no dream at all. He-Man and Battle Cat really had fought one another as bitter enemies… and He-Man really had felt those terrible sentiments of greed and hatred. 

The wound was healing itself slowly, as did all the wounds inflicted upon He-Man's body, possessed as it was by the power of Grayskull. But his main concern was what terrible force had caused himself and Battle Cat, almost lifelong friends, to fight each other with such hatred. Surely it couldn't have been natural. As he began to recollect his memory further, he remembered that before the fight, he and Battle Cat had been searching the shore of Equamore for any sign of Teela, who had just inexplicably snapped at him over the contact device. As he remembered Teela's harshness, he realised that she had behaved towards him in almost the exact same way that he and Battle Cat had done towards one another! And not only that, but she had also expressed some kind of evil, power-hungry desires just like the ones he had possessed himself during the fight. So clearly these thoughts were not natural at all. Teela, Battle Cat and himself had all been affected by some kind of evil magic which caused them to feel power-mad and full of hatred for everyone else. He-Man remembered that he and Battle Cat had been trying to head towards the Falls of Harmony to reach their goal- so obviously he must be beneath the falls now. 

He-Man pushed himself up on his arms, rose to his feet, and looked around himself. The place he was in was extremely dark, but he could just about make out that he was in some kind of rocky cavern. In the distance he could hear the sound of running water, which must obviously be the falls. 

All of a sudden, He-Man felt a bony hand lightly stroking his shoulder from behind. He abruptly spun around, drawing the Power Sword as he did so. Then he relaxed himself with relief as he saw that it was not a living creature that had touched him. It was a human skeleton, dangling from the roof of the cave on a rope that was tied around its neck, its rib cage covered with spiders' webs. But what was the skeleton doing there? He-Man then noticed that the Power Sword was glowing in his hand. He was not sure exactly why, but obviously it was nothing to fear, as the power of Grayskull contained within the sword was used solely for the purpose of justice and peace. It was most likely glowing to protect him from something. 

He tiptoed silently along the rough, rocky ground, taking care not to trip and fall. He made out a corner amidst the blackness, and gently inched his way around. As he passed around the corner, he saw none other than Battle Cat, imprisoned in some kind of force field, glowing with crackling yellow energy. Battle Cat's eyes opened wide with relief as he saw He-Man. 

"Don't worry, my friend!" He-Man said quietly. "I should be able to get you out!" 

He inched his way towards his imprisoned companion, and gently lowered the blade of the Power Sword towards the force field, cutting lightly through its yellow exterior. Summoning all the magical power within his body and the blade, He-Man shut his eyes tightly and concentrated on directing all his power towards the field. As he did so, the force field slowly dissolved entirely, and Battle Cat was free. 

"Battle Cat!" He-Man said, "I'm sorry I attacked you. I am sickened to think of what I did!" 

Battle Cat slunk up to He-Man and gently rubbed against his side in friendship. In his feline eyes he had a look of compassion and apology for having attacked He-Man. 

"It seems we were both affected by some kind of evil force that made our minds turn power-mad." He-Man explained to his companion. "Teela must have been affected by it too when she had a go at me. I'm guessing that something in the caverns beneath the falls is radiating evil magic that corrupts people and lures them towards it. This could be how the Equamorians disappeared- so we've gotta search the caverns and find the missing people, and find what this magic is!" 

He leaped onto Battle Cat's back, with the Power Sword in his hand. The sword was still glowing, and lit the way through the blackness of the caverns, as Battle Cat slowly turned the corner, his ears twitching as he listened out for the slightest hint of danger. 

They passed the dangling skeleton, its bony frame swinging lightly in the darkness. Spiders and roaches crawled over the rocky cavern walls. The sound of the running falls could be heard in the distance. 

All of a sudden, they saw a figure emerging from behind a corner, moving towards them. He-Man held his sword at the ready. The figure moved closer to them at a moderate pace, and as Battle Cat carried He-Man closer, the light from He-Man's Power Sword illuminated the figure, bringing its features into full view. 

"Teela!" exclaimed He-Man, as he recognised the long red hair, and tight bodysuit. "Are you alright? What's been happening here?" 

Teela did not respond, but continued inching her way closer to the great hero and his feline steed. 

"Teela? Is something wrong?" 

She still did not respond. He-Man sensed there was something unusual about her. She was walking bolt upright, barely even bending her legs as she moved towards them, and as she came closer, He-Man saw to his horror that her eyes were bloodshot, wide open and staring fixedly as if in a trance, her skin was pale and her face completely expressionless, her crimson lipstick was smeared partially over one side of her face, and her lips were twitching with what looked like a thirst for blood. This was not the Teela he knew. 

"By the Elders!" he exclaimed, "What on Eternia's happened to you?!" 

Without saying a word, and seeming completely incapable of speech, Teela inched closer to He-Man, and then she struck at him and gripped his neck with her right hand. He-Man was shocked by this terrible change in Teela, but he found it difficult to fight her back because of his love for her. Teela forced him off Battle Cat's back and to the ground. He landed heavily on the rocks. 

Battle Cat, although he knew that he could injure Teela severely with one blow of his paw, was equally reluctant to fight her back. So instead, he let out a loud, deafening roar, which echoed through the caverns, in the hope of frightening her off. But it stirred no reaction in her whatsoever. She kicked Battle Cat in the jaw, then twisted her leg around with incredible agility, and kicked him in the eye. The great tiger, although his incredible strength protected him from being particularly hurt, was shocked at her attack, and unsure of what to do. 

"Teela!" called He-Man, getting to his feet. "You're under some kind of evil spell! You must fight it!" 

But she seemed completely oblivious to what he was saying. She closed in on him, and punched him right in the mouth, then kneed him in the chest before hooking her left leg around his right leg and forcing him to the ground once again. He-Man knew he could easily beat her if he tried, but he just could not bring himself to fight back. He could not inflict any kind of injury on someone he loved so much as Teela, possessed or not. He still felt bad enough about the way he'd attacked Battle Cat, even though he'd been possessed himself at the time. 

He was about to get to his feet, but suddenly he noticed a crowd of other figures gathering around Teela. As they moved into view, He-Man could see that they were all unmistakably human in form, but their eyes were all cold, staring and bloodshot, their skin was pale and they moved slowly and upright, as if in a trance. And all in one moment, their cold, terrifying eyes all glared towards He-Man himself, as several of their mouths drooled hideously. _These must be the missing Equamorians,_ thought He-Man. But they had all been horribly transformed into mindless, bloodthirsty monsters by some kind of evil magic. The complete opposite of the loving, calm façade of the regular Equamorians! 

One of the creatures (how could He-Man think of them as human in this state?) bent down towards He-Man, his bloody eyes staring right into He-Man's, as saliva flowed over his beard. He dangled his thin, pale arm over He-Man's sword, which was still glowing, as if to examine it. 

He-Man was paralysed with ambivalence over what he should do. He was easily capable of attacking these creatures- but if he did so, he would feel he had betrayed the peacefulness of the Equamorians, who avoided fighting at all costs. He had to remember that however gruesome and terrifying they appeared, there were human souls somewhere down beneath the surface. And he could not inflict damage upon the physical shells of those he respected. But it was quite possible that they could kill both him and Battle Cat if he did not attack them- what should he do? He had to make up his mind within seconds, for the face of the bearded one was inching closer towards his own, the lips twitching, the mouth opening wide as if about to take a bite….. 

"STOP!" came a loud, commanding voice from out of the blackness. "Get back, all of you!" 

Although the possessed Teela had seemed oblivious to He-Man's words before, all of these creatures responded to the loud voice that was ordering them. Each of them looked behind themselves, then slowly inched backwards to make way for the form of the being that seemed in charge of them. Amidst the creatures appeared the form of a dark, veiled figure, and as this figure stepped into view, He-Man recognised the beaming, evil red eyes and the fleshless, yellowing skull- Skeletor! 

"Skeletor!" He-Man exclaimed. "You evil tyrant, I should have known you'd be behind this!" 

"So you should…" replied Skeletor, mockingly, "I knew you'd probably be wondering why you haven't heard much from me this last week. Because I've been down here… gathering my new, powerful army!" 

He-Man rose to his feet, gripping his Power Sword tight as he looked into the ghastly face of his greatest enemy. Beside him, Battle Cat growled lowly. "You villain," He-Man said, angrily, "what have you done to these people?" He looked around himself at the gruesome, bloodthirsty faces of the possessed Equamorians, and the usually beautiful face of Teela, which was now horribly distorted and twisted, the most disturbingly changed of all. 

"Well, now that you've awoken, I'd be more concerned about what I'm going to do to you!" Skeletor held out his bony, blue hand, and opened his palm to reveal a bright, gleaming red jewel. Brilliant red energy seemed to radiate from it, and the creatures all fixed their bloodshot eyes at it in a state of wonder, inching their way slowly closer to Skeletor. 

He-Man could not deny that he was impressed by the beauty of this jewel. It seemed magical in a way that was unlike anything he had seen before. He gazed transfixed at the jewel, in awe of its beauty and power. He felt the impression that this jewel possessed great power that may even exceed that of Grayskull. Power so great that it could give him anything he wanted. It could provide him with wealth, riches, and the power to look down on the whole of Eternia, as its citizens worshipped him like a deity. He had to get his hands on the jewel and possess it for himself. He had to hold all its power in his own grasp, and rule Eternia all himself… 

The Power Sword suddenly flashed with a brilliant white light, and He-Man caught himself. He was thinking the exact same thoughts that had overcome him when he had attacked Battle Cat. Thoughts of greed, corruption and power-hunger. These thoughts were obviously being stirred in him by the jewel itself! He could not let them overcome him again! He had to fight the temptation to surrender to them. The sword continued to glow brightly in He-Man's hand. Obviously it was glowing to protect him from the influence of this jewel. He took a quick glance downwards at Battle Cat, and the great tiger's own eyes were also transfixed on the jewel, but he had opened them wide and was breathing heavily, clearly attempting to fight off the thoughts himself. With all his mental power, He-Man fought off all the corrupt thoughts which swept through his brain. Power and riches were not his sole aim in life, and he felt love and compassion for all living creatures- not hatred. He kept on mentally telling himself this as he fought hard against the jewel's influence… 

Noticing the strained look upon He-Man's face, and his anxious breathing, Skeletor said "What's wrong, He-Man? Captivated by the beauty of my jewel?" 

"No!" shouted He-Man, gripping his sword with both hands and holding it in front of the jewel, blocking its rays out from his sight. "You cannot possess me this easily, Skeletor. I can see just what you're doing. That jewel will not corrupt my mind!" 

Skeletor's eyes glowed with a sense of bafflement. "You always seem to evade these things, He-Man." he said, his tones sounding rather impressed as well as frustrated. "Your lady friend Teela submitted easily to the effects of the jewel… and you and that cat seemed almost entirely possessed when you came through the falls. What keeps you from seduction now, fool?" 

"You should've learned by now, Skeletor. I have the power of Grayskull within me. Now I've realised what's happening, I have the strength of mind to overcome the jewel's corruption… and Grayskull is assisting me. Same goes for Battle Cat. We know your scheme, Skeletor!" 

"Well, I had been hoping you would fall under the influence and become the most powerful member of my army…" said Skeletor, "but it troubles me not, for you will still meet your doom!" He closed the palm of his hand, concealing the jewel from sight entirely. The possessed creatures instantly turned their attention away from Skeletor, and back onto He-Man. "Attack him, my minions!" he ordered, and the horde of terrifying creatures inched slowly towards He-Man, the combined sight of all their repulsive bodily movements making them a truly hideous spectacle. Teela, still strangely beautiful in spite of the bloody eyes and the twitching lips covered by the smeared lipstick, struck once again at He-Man's throat. He-Man just could not make himself fight the woman he loved most in the world… but rather than hurt her, it could be possible to frighten her into backing off. He raised his sword towards her face as if to threaten her… but just then, the bearded creature seized the sword from He-Man's grasp, and held it above his head as if it gave him great power. He let out a roar of triumph, and the whole crowd of gruesome creatures all looked up towards the sword in wonder, their throats emitting grotesque gurgling sounds as their eyes became transfixed on the sword. All of them began to reach for the sword frantically, all seemingly wanting to possess it for themselves. 

Skeletor held up his left hand, and a blazing red energy coil shot out from his palm, tied itself around the sword, then was sucked back into Skeletor's hand, drawing the sword into his grasp. "This sword is mine!" yelled Skeletor, "As is He-Man!" and he fired bolts from his eyes at both He-Man and Battle Cat. A yellow, crackling force field formed around them, like the one that had held Battle Cat before. Without the sword, He-Man could not dissolve it in the way he had the last one. 

"Now you are my prisoner, He-Man…" said Skeletor, and pushed his way through the possessed Equamorians towards He-Man, until his hideous red eyes gazed right into He-Man's. "And try not to get impatient in there… for soon, the jewel of seduction will overcome you- and if not directly, it will overcome you indirectly!" 

He thrust back his bony head, and from his fleshless jaw emitted a deafening, maniacal laugh that echoed throughout all the underground caverns. 

* * *

He-Man and Battle Cat were taken to a larger cavern, still imprisoned in the force field, which Skeletor transported with his magic. Skeletor sat on a large throne carved into the rock, which he had most likely formed himself. Throughout the cavern, there were several more human skeletons dangling from the ceiling on ropes, and there was one peculiar looking skeleton, which appeared to be all human aside from its skull. The skull was flat at the top, and had a squashed appearance, with no forehead- just two large, devilish-looking eyeholes at the top of the face. The nose and mouth protruded outwards, and the teeth were razor-sharp. Ultimately it had a rather snake-like appearance. It was obviously some kind of mutant- but what type of creature had it been, and what was it doing here? He-Man began to suspect that something strange had been going on beneath the falls for a very long time- quite possibly centuries. Whatever had been happening, all these skeletons certainly seemed ancient, and He-Man suspected that the jewel was quite possibly ancient as well. He was sure that Skeletor had not been down here very long, and although Skeletor was clearly trying to form the possessed Equamorians into an army, had he been responsible for all their disappearances within the last four months? During these months, He-Man had fought many evil schemes by Skeletor, and it seemed unlikely that he would have carried these out if he had been doing this business down here all along. He-Man remembered that Skeletor had said something about having been down here for the past week- that would make sense, since it had been just over a week since He-Man had last fought Skeletor. So it seemed likely that Skeletor had only discovered the jewel, and the possessed Equamorians, the previous week, and had simply taken control of them. Therefore, the jewel must have been in the caverns for the last four months, luring the Equamorians towards it- but who had put it there, and where exactly had it come from? Did it have any connection with all these skeletons dangling from the cavern roof? 

As Skeletor sat on the throne, he placed He-Man's sword into a narrow cavity carved into the rock next to the throne. The sword was now totally concealed from view. Skeletor turned his repulsive head, his eyes blazed towards He-Man, and he said, triumphantly, "So, the great He-Man and his pet cat are finally helpless in my clutches. It's such a joy to my heart that I could drink to it." 

"You've gotta be kidding yourself if you think we're helpless, Skeletor." said He-Man. "I know your force fields all too well. I may not be able to dissipate this without the sword, but like all the others it'll dissipate itself after twenty hours." 

"Twenty-two hours, actually," replied Skeletor, "I've improved the strength of my force fields since you last encountered one. And you obviously take me for a fool, I know this force field won't mean the end of you. I have other things in store for you… just you wait, 'hero of Eternia'." 

"Sure thing, I'll wait." responded He-Man. "I know I'll stop you in the end. I'll always be able to stop you. Like the Equamorians, I believe the powers of peace and love will always triumph over evil, and that's all we need to keep us going. Just like how my inner love enabled me to resist being corrupted by that jewel." 

Skeletor shook his head. "You never cease to amaze me with your foolishness, He-Man. If you share the beliefs of the Equamorians, you are as weak and pitiful as them." He held his hand out in front of him, and opened it once more to reveal the jewel. "This is not a jewel of corruption… it is a jewel of seduction. It has nothing to do with love or peace whatsoever. It seduces people by sending out vibes, that make them think it will give them the great power that we all desire… but when they reach it, it gives them nothing. Once they have come within inches of it, they become entirely possessed… mindless demons like the fools down here… and they will wander with nothing on their mind but power… and destruction." 

"And thoughts of corruption." added He-Man. "I think I know why that jewel doesn't affect you, Skeletor. You've already been drained of all humanity by your extreme hunger for power and hatred for others… so you're no different from those creatures anyway." 

Skeletor laughed in pity. "Again, you both amaze and amuse me, He-Man. You forget that unlike the possessed creatures, I still have my mind… and my intelligence. I can resist being hypnotised by this thing because my own magic senses its vibes, and is powerful enough to overcome them. Why don't you just step down and admit that my mind is vastly superior to yours." 

"No mind is superior." replied He-Man. "Will you ever realise that we're all created equal… just like the Equamorians say? When will you realise that it's better to live in peace than to fight for power?" 

"Your notions of peace… are the notions of a fool!" hissed Skeletor, and fired a bolt of power from his left hand, which cut across He-Man's shoulder, stunning him slightly. "The Equamorians' ideas of equality are sheer nonsense… they are all fools, choosing to live such uninteresting, bland lives just because they can't admit that they are all inferior weaklings! Why live in peace with everybody just for the sake of it, when the majority of mankind is composed of weak, feeble-minded fools?" 

He-Man did not respond. He knew there was no use arguing with Skeletor. He had been wreaking his evil havoc over the universe for well over twenty years, and he had made up his mind. His demented and twisted views would not be healed by words. 

"See, you have nothing to say to that, do you He-Man?" said Skeletor, after half a moment of silence. 

"It's just no use arguing with you, Skeletor." answered He-Man. "I only hope that someday you see the error of your ways." 

"And I hope that someday you will realise your foolishness, and join my side of the battle." There came the sound of footsteps in the next cavern. A tall figure walked in, and as it stepped into the light, He-Man recognised it. 

"Merman!" he exclaimed. And indeed it was Merman- there was no mistaking the green, scaly skin, the webbed ears protruding from both sides of the head, the large, bug-like eyes and the hideous, fish-like face. But the sudden appearance of Merman surprised him- for Merman had been reported missing several months ago, and had been assumed possibly dead after attempts to contact him failed. 

"Ah, so Eternia's muscle man has finally arrived, I see!" Merman hissed to Skeletor, in his gurgling, aquarian voice. 

"Indeed he has." said Skeletor. "He and his tiger were attracted by the jewel, and were almost entirely possessed, but they were caught up in a fight, which knocked He-Man out. Battle Cat was becoming uncontrollable, so I knocked him out with a series of bolts from my staff. I'd been hoping for them to join my army as its most powerful members, but unfortunately when they came to, the power of He-Man's blasted sword protected them from the jewel's effects. But never mind… I still plan to use the jewel to cause their fate via alternative methods, and you have served me well by discovering it, Merman." 

He-Man gasped in surprise. So Merman had discovered the jewel! Had it been him who put it in the caverns? Had he been behind the disappearances, all along? 

"It is my pleasure, Skeletor." said Merman. "Now where's my promotion?" 

"Promotion?" 

"You said you would promote me to your second-in-command if the jewel lured He-Man. Now that our greatest enemy is here, hadn't we better get along with raising my rank?" 

"Not so fast, Merman." said Skeletor. "I said I would make you second-in-command if the jewel destroyed He-Man, or possessed him permanently. He has managed to elude the jewel's seduction, but once I have him destroyed- which will happen soon- I may promote you." 

"You had better keep your word, Skeletor." 

"I am promising nothing. I will do as I see fit. Never question the judgement of the great Skeletor." He got to his feet, fumbled within his cape, and pulled out a bag of money. Handing it to Merman, he said, "But here is your payment. Forty-five gold pieces." 

"Thank you, Skeletor." 

"Just be sure to keep it away from the possessed Equamorians, or they may rob you. You know how easily lured they are by the presence of riches. Wealth and power are all they think about." 

"I know very well, Skeletor. That was all I ever thought about when I myself was possessed." 

He-Man's eyes opened wide, and he inched closer to the edge of the force field to hear their conversation better. So Merman had been possessed too! That would suggest that he himself had been lured beneath the falls by the jewel's vibes, as opposed to having put it there. So where exactly had the jewel come from… and how had Merman managed to overcome its effects? Perhaps the jewel had been in the caverns for centuries… the hanging skeletons definitely gave He-Man the impression that something had gone on there a long time ago. But if that was the case, then why had it only just started to lure people towards it? Had it been buried or something, and recently uncovered? He listened carefully, as Skeletor and Merman continued their conversation. 

"And they continue to be power-hungry…" said Skeletor, "as earlier on, they were after He-Man's sword. Obviously they could sense the power in it. As we know, He-Man's sword was made for He-Man alone, so it can give them nothing, but the fact that they are after something of He-Man's may prove useful." 

"Are you saying you're going to set them all on He-Man?" asked Merman. 

"More than that. You will see soon. Something that will work to our advantage is the fact that He-Man will not fight any of them. Since he respects the Equamorians, he will not hurt them no matter how dangerous they become… and now that his lady friend Teela is among them, he will not lay a finger on them." 

"Ah, so you have captured Teela too?" 

"She was lured here shortly before He-Man. Unlike ourselves and He-Man, she was not powerful enough to overcome the jewel's effect. He-Man has Grayskull's power, I have my magic, and your underwater senses eventually cleared your mind after you plunged back into the sea, after the fight you had with the possessed man. Teela is a mere woman- she succumbed easily to the jewel's effect. We can use this to our advantage." 

"So when will we seal He-Man's fate? What are we going to do?" 

"I will explain." said Skeletor. "We shall now move onto the next stage of our plan… and this part is largely down to you." 

Skeletor and Merman left the cavern, and were soon lost in the blackness beyond He-Man's sight. Battle Cat growled lowly, and glared angrily in the direction in which Skeletor had disappeared. 

"Easy now, Battle Cat." said He-Man, gently patting the head of the great animal. "We'll get the chance to confront Skeletor later, when we're out of here. I don't know what he's got in store for us, but if we just take it easy, it'll be no trouble for us. Let's just do what the Equamorians would do, and keep calm." 

He-Man found it much easier to keep calm now that he'd experienced part of the kingdom of Equamore. The place had seemed to have a soothing atmosphere which had calmed all the tension that he'd been feeling over the past few days. He was eager to put an end to Skeletor's evil so he could get back above ground, explore the kingdom and meet its people. He doubted that Skeletor had experienced much of Equamore himself, but he wondered if a venture into the kingdom's central grounds might make Skeletor think twice about his violent, totalitarian ways. The place was so peaceful that it should have an effect on even the most corrupt of minds. He felt a sense of anger at Skeletor for leading such a barbarous way of life when peace and tranquillity were so much better, but he also pitied him for the impetuousness of his life, and how he missed out on the wonderful peace and unity that He-Man himself felt with his friends, family, and the majority of Eternians. More than anything else, he wanted Skeletor to realise the error of his ways and choose to make peace with He-Man, Randor and The Sorceress, rather than war against them. Power and riches were not everything in life- just being alive, and in the presence of beautiful people in beautiful places was all people needed to be happy. He-Man had never understood the exact reasons why Skeletor wanted to conquer the universe so badly, as he knew nothing of his origins other than that he was possibly from the planet Infinita- but he was sure that somewhere within that repulsive form there must be some kind of humanity and desire for peace. He just hoped that someday it would surface. 

Piecing together everything he had witnessed so far, it seemed to He-Man that Merman had discovered the jewel of corruption when he was himself drawn to it, and had been possessed by it until the last week, when his underwater senses had enabled him to recover. He had most likely contacted Skeletor afterwards, and Skeletor had come here to use the jewel and the people it had possessed to his advantage. Now he just had to find out where exactly the jewel had come from, and if it had any connection with all the hanging skeletons. He thought back to his studies of Equamore, its culture and its history, but he remembered nothing about such a jewel, nor did he remember reading anything about the caverns beneath the falls. But something must surely have gone on here, that had somehow escaped the historians' knowledge, as was suggested by all the skeletons. What could it be? And what kind of evil was Skeletor currently planning to unleash upon him? 

After a few hours, Skeletor returned to the cavern. "Still enjoying your stay, He-Man?" he sneered, his gruff voice twisted with mockery. 

"I've been in this situation many times before, Skeletor." He-Man replied. "And you know all too well that I fear nothing from your evil." 

"I know, He-Man, I know you well enough. You may fear nothing, but that will change nothing about the circumstances of your destruction. Merman has gone to get a little something for you… in the meantime, my army is getting bored, so I thought I might as well give them something to play with…" 

He reached out his arm, and zapped a bolt from his finger towards the energy field which surrounded He-Man and Battle Cat. Instantly, the field dissipated entirely. Skeletor then reached into the stone cavity within the walls, and pulled out He-Man's Power Sword. Holding it above his head, he shouted, "Come forth, my minions!" 

Instantly, the cavern was filled with a horde of the possessed Equamorians, moving towards the sword as their mouths drooled gruesomely. Skeletor opened the palm of his hand, and used his magic to let the sword drift into mid-air above He-Man's head, right to the top of the cavern. Before He-Man could reach out for it, a group of the hideous creatures leaped right upon him, and began to scrape and claw at his muscular torso, their bloodshot eyes fixated, wide open, on the sword above them. Battle Cat was also surrounded by a crowd of the fearsome creatures, but like He-Man, his respect for the Equamorians' true desires for peace discouraged him from fighting back. 

Skeletor laughed in pitiful mockery as the creatures attacked He-Man. "This is what amuses me the most about your foolishness, He-Man," he sneered. "You're so stupid that you won't fight these creatures back, even though you could defeat them with a mere blow- just because you respect the people they used to be! You amuse me so much that I hope you continue being this foolish- that is, while you still live!" 

Amidst the motley crew of possessed creatures, the hideously changed Teela edged her way towards He-Man, totally cut off from all memories of her acquaintance with him. Her bloodshot eyes, wide open, rolled about in their sockets as drool seeped over the edge of her lower lip, smearing her lipstick more. Her eyes fixed for a moment on the sword, hovering high above them- then she threw her hideous stare directly into He-Man's own eyes, as the creatures scraped at his legs and torso, one of them gnawing at his lower ankle. He-Man felt he should be repelled by the sight of the woman he loved most in the world distorted so horribly- but he could not help but feel a sense of sexual arousal, his libido pulsating excitedly as the possessed Teela gripped at his muscular torso, stroked her long fingernails along his bosom before digging them right into his flesh, before encasing her drooling mouth around his neck, biting into the tissue, chewing at strands of his skin as the blood seeped down… 

* * *

The red sun of Eternia rose above the purple towers of Equamore as another day began in Eternia's most tranquil kingdom. In the main hall of the tallest tower, Equallus stood staring outside at the sunrise, with the council seated around the table in the room's center. 

"This is not looking good," said Equallus, his voice still calm despite traces of concern. "We have heard no word from Prince Adam or Captain Teela ever since they went to investigate the shoreline yesterday morning. It seems as though they have added to the list of missing people." 

"Then in that case, whatever is going on around the Falls of Harmony could be more sinister than we thought." said one of the council members. 

"Precisely." replied Equallus, turning round to face his fellow council members. "Equamore has lived in total peace for many centuries, but it seems as though our kingdom is finally faced with a dilemma that may prove difficult to solve. Therefore, we must take appropriate action." 

"What will we do?" asked another council member. "Shall we call for He-Man? If things are really getting this serious, he could be our only hope." 

"I've already contacted the Royal Palace to summon He-Man; but unfortunately, they said they are currently unable to contact him. Man-At-Arms seemed to think he'd be close at hand nevertheless, so we can only hope that he will appear in our hour of need." 

"Then what do we do? Should we call someone else to investigate?" 

"No, it would be no use," replied Equallus. "They would only go missing like everyone else has. So I've decided there is only one thing that can be done." 

"And what's that?" 

"I will go and investigate myself." 

The entire council looked at Equallus with surprise. One woman spoke up. "But wouldn't that be dangerous? You might just go missing yourself. And what if something violent happens, and you have to fight to defend yourself? It would violate the Equamorian custom of peace." 

"There is no need for concern, my friends." replied Equallus. "Just remember that we all possess the knowledge that peace in the soul is an essential key to the remedy of all problems. Therefore, while my soul remains peaceful, while my mind is free from panic and anxiety- no matter what I may behold down there, I will somehow handle it. I am not saying that I can solve the problem all myself- but rest assured, I will come back alive. I will bring you exact details of whatever is happening down there." 

"And if you need to fight?" 

"If I am caught in a situation so desperate that I can only survive by fighting, then I will fight. It will not violate our custom of peace, for while we prefer to live life as peacefully as possible, fighting is necessary when there is no other choice. Remember, He-Man and the planet's defenders have no desire to fight, but they are left with no other option. But hopefully I will not be caught in such a situation, and if I am, I will ensure that the opponent is not severely hurt. I will set off at once to investigate around the falls, and will contact you if I need help from any of you." 

"Then we wish you luck, Equallus." said the council's Chancellor. "May the Elders be with you!" 

"Thank you, my friends." Equallus said, and calmly and nobly, he set out, and journeyed towards the shore. 

Equallus reached the shoreline, and walked down the path which led down from the cliffs to the beach. He took one look at the sun, blazing gently in the sky above, and the still waters of the Harmony Sea, lapping lightly against the shore. He closed his eyes, and took one deep breath in, absorbing the peace and calmness of the surrounding area, to ensure that he would approach whatever he may behold with the utmost serenity. Then he opened his eyes, and breathed out, feeling the calmness spread throughout his entire body. He was ready for whatever danger may lie ahead. Steadily, he began to head towards the Falls of Harmony. 

As he neared the falls, he began to sense a source of magic within them. A source of great power, so great that it could produce the most amazing effects. A source he simply had to investigate with his own hands… because he could sense that it was all evil. Some kind of magic which was used for purposes of extreme corruption was operating beneath the falls. This source of magic must evidently have been the source of the disappearances of his denizens, as well as Prince Adam and Teela. Equallus prepared himself to investigate this source of magic, whatever it may be. Calmly and steadily, he inched his way along the small rocks which led up to the cliff side, then he carefully slipped his body behind the golden waters of the falls. The water partially trickled over the right side of his body, and he felt the sentiments of peace and love which the Equamorians sent out through the falls to the rest of Eternia. Then he emerged on the other side, a hollow, black cavern in front of him. 

At first, all he saw was blackness, and the caverns seemed completely silent. Then he heard a violent smash coming from close by, accompanied by a strange gurgling sound. Another smash followed, then came a huge roar like that of a large animal, and there was a sound of scraping, scrambling and a strange croaking noise. What on Eternia was going on? Retaining his calm, Equallus made his way towards the strange sounds. 

Making his way through several caverns, the noises became louder, and as he turned one corner, he was confronted by a sight that made his blood curl. Before his eyes, he saw all the missing Equamorians, gathered together in a huge crowd within the cavern. But they were not as he had last seen them. Each of their faces was horribly distorted, their eyes wide open, bloodshot and expressionless, their mouths drooling, their bodily movements jerky and frenetic like malfunctioned robots. Among them was Teela, as hideously distorted as the rest of them. And standing before them all was none other than He-Man, Eternia's defender himself, with his ferocious steed Battle Cat at his side. He-Man, whose torso and legs were covered with countless scratches and bruises, as his neck oozed with blood, was holding out his Power Sword and firing bolts from it towards the ground before the Equamorians, seemingly taking care not to hit any of them. As each bolt hit the ground, the Equamorians would jerk backward, dodging away. 

He-Man looked up and saw Equallus, and his eyes widened in shock. "Equallus!" he cried out. "Take cover!" 

Panicking, He-Man quickly rushed up to Equallus, and gently urged him across the cavern, backward into the shadows. 

"What is going on?" asked Equallus. 

"Just keep as far away as you can- protect yourself!" shouted He-Man, urging Equallus further backward until he was lost in the shadows. He could not allow Equallus to be hurt by his own people- and more importantly, he did not want Equallus to be corrupted himself by the power of the jewel, and thus join this horde of gruesome creatures. 

Carefully, He-Man continued to fire bolt after bolt at the ground, doing his best to keep the creatures back. He was almost completely lost for a solution to this chaos. The only way he had been able to protect himself to ensure the creatures did not kill him was by retrieving the sword to keep them at bay with its power bolts- but since the creatures were all after the sword itself, nothing was going to drive them away from here without hurting them. None of them were going to give up until they got their hands on the sword. And He-Man was completely lost for a way to return them to normal. 

Just then, Skeletor entered the cavern, with the jewel in his hand. He-Man quickly looked behind him into the shadows to make sure Equallus was safely hidden. When he made out Equallus' outline amidst the shadows, he mouthed to him 'Keep back- don't let Skeletor see you'. But he knew he could not protect him for long- since Skeletor had brought the jewel into the cavern, no doubt Equallus would stride out of the shadows at any moment, corrupted by its vibes of temptation. 

At the instant that they felt the presence of the jewel, the creatures all turned their attention from the sword, and towards the jewel. "Stay calm, my beauties." said Skeletor, holding out one hand to keep them back, his magic preventing them from attacking him. Then he looked towards He-Man. "Just making sure you're all having fun," he said mockingly. "Merman will be here soon with your big surprise. So, retrieved your sword, He-Man? Well done- but aren't you being a little unfair to my minions, denying them your flesh?" With an evil laugh, he zapped out a beam of magic from his finger towards the sword, and the sword detached itself from He-Man's grip once again, hovering back into mid-air, this time into the middle of the cavern rather than directly above He-Man's head. Skeletor clenched tight the fist which held the jewel, concealing it from view, and the creatures all sprang towards the sword, while some of them- Teela included- inched towards He-Man himself. "Keep enjoying the party!" Skeletor said, then he left the cavern. 

He-Man decided he would make a run from the cavern while he could, and leave the creatures to crave after the sword. He knew the sword could give them nothing, since it was made specially for He-Man himself, and as it was indestructible the creatures could not damage it. His main concern now was to lead Equallus to safety. He was relieved that Equallus didn't seem to have succumbed to the effects of the jewel, but also slightly puzzled as to why the jewel had had no effect on him. 

He urged Equallus out from the shadows, and said, "Quick, Equallus- follow me! I'll lead you to safety!" 

"No problem, He-Man," said Equallus, following him. "I believe I may be able to help you here." 

Followed by Battle Cat, He-Man led Equallus out from the cavern, and through a maze of tunnels until they reached a small, solitary cavern, quiet and safe from the possessed Equamorians. They crouched lowly within the cavern, and He-Man said, in a half-whisper, "I'm glad you've come to help, Equallus- but I'm afraid it isn't safe here at all. Skeletor's causing great havoc here using some kind of evil magic, and I've got to put a stop to it- and get to the bottom of the mystery." 

"It is my pleasure to offer my help, He-Man." said Equallus. "But may I ask you first how you got here, and how you knew who I am?" 

He-Man sought his mind for a convincing excuse. He felt bad at having to lie to someone he respected as much as Equallus, but he reminded himself that the rules of Grayskull had only the best reasons to forbid him from revealing his secret. "Prince Adam told me everything!" he said. "Adam summoned me when Teela went missing, and told me everything he'd seen. He described you to me, so I recognised you from his description." 

"Is Adam alright now? He hasn't been possessed too, has he?" 

"No, I told him to run to safety. It was too dangerous for him to stick around here. He's in a safe place now. But I'd better explain to you exactly what's been happening- your people have-" 

"There is no need to explain, He-Man." said Equallus calmly. "I know exactly what has been happening. It was obvious to me the moment that Skeletor brought in that jewel." 

"What? You mean… did you recognise it from somewhere?" 

"Indeed I did. I recognised it from… legend. The jewel Skeletor was holding is what the Equamorian council has always referred to as 'the prison of corruption'. It was created thousands of years ago, when Eternia was ruled by the Snake People, and was caught in a colossal war as the Elders of Grayskull fought to overthrow them. It was at that time that the people of Equamore chose to declare our kingdom independent from the rest of Eternia. As they realised the pointlessness of the war, they chose to isolate the kingdom from the rest of the planet in order to live entirely in peace, no matter what may occur in the rest of the world. The Falls of Harmony were injected, using the magic of the kingdom's greatest sorcerers and sorceresses, with sentiments of love and peace, which we hoped to spread out to the rest of the planet through the falls. It has long been believed that the peaceful sentiments sent out through the falls contributed to the eventual collapse of the Snake Empire, which occurred not long after we declared ourselves independent." 

"Of course." said He-Man. "So how did the jewel come about?" 

"The jewel was created when Equamore's leaders decided that our peace would be secured for eternity if the kingdom's leaders were completely free from sentiments of corruption, greed and superiority. All regular humans have an evil side to their character- there is a side to them all that possesses these corrupt desires. Luckily, most people realise that these desires are wrong, and do not succumb to them. But our leaders knew that if they were emptied completely of these desires, so that there would be no remote danger of them ever succumbing to them, then their souls would be eternally peaceful, and this would help them to lead our kingdom through eternity in total peace. Therefore, with the aid of the kingdom's greatest magicians, the leaders all grouped together, and beamed all their corrupt and evil thoughts into a regular, powerless jewel, which would entrap all their corruption within itself. As their evil sides were encased within the jewel, it turned red, all their corrupt thoughts held safely within it. Ever since then, the leaders of Equamore have been completely free from corruption, which has enabled our kingdom to survive in peace. I am a descendant of the original leaders of Equamore- this is why I am not affected by the jewel myself, as I have no corrupt side within me to be tempted by the jewel." 

"Now I understand!" said He-Man. "I had wondered where exactly that jewel had come from. So if it holds sentiments of corruption within it, then why does it radiate them outwards and tempt people towards it? Was there something wrong with the spell?" 

"There was nothing wrong with the spell." replied Equallus. "The jewel became the dangerous object of corruption it is today when a small group of Equamorians chose to rebel against the decision of the kingdom's leaders. There was a small sect of Equamorians who were sympathisers with the Snake Army, and believed the hierarchy they advocated was credible and that our kingdom should ally with the Snake People instead of becoming independent. They acquired the help of one of the Snake Men, who was a sorcerer, to attempt to overthrow Equamore's leaders. Together, they set about foiling the spell, and the Snake Man cast a spell upon the jewel which caused it to radiate vibes of corrupt temptation outward, and lure people towards it. It would draw people towards it believing it held power that was there specially for them, and it caused them to succumb so heavily to the corrupt thoughts it stirred that they lost all touch with themselves, becoming mindless animals, intent solely on gaining power for themselves and rising above all others. Many Equamorians succumbed to the effects of the jewel, and the Snake Man and his crew set about using all the people it possessed to attack the kingdom's leaders. Before long, complete chaos engulfed the whole kingdom- the possessed people were attacking everywhere, stealing all the riches they could find- but things became worse as the possessed people began to fight among one another, all of them desiring to own all the riches purely for themselves. They ran so heavily out of control that the Snake Man himself was killed when attempting to control them, and the chaos grew worse, almost threatening to wipe out the whole kingdom and its leaders. Thankfully, one young hero somehow worked out a way to overcome the spell, and he succeeded in returning the possessed people to normal. Sadly he was murdered before he could reveal how he had done it- the Snake Man's allies were so angry that they stabbed him to death as soon as he had foiled their plot. The leaders of Equamore knew that the jewel would only cause further chaos if it was kept within the kingdom, so they ordered for it to be hidden away." 

"Couldn't they just have destroyed it?" asked He-Man. 

"No." replied Equallus. "Destroying it would only have released all the corruption and evil contained within the jewel, and there was the chance that the sentiments of corruption could have spread to many people, thus exaggerating their evil sides and causing further chaos. So it had to be hidden away, and legend has always told of how it was taken to a secluded place, together with the body of the Snake Man. The Snake Man's allies poisoned themselves after the scheme had been foiled, so their bodies were taken along too. No one has ever been sure of where exactly the jewel was taken- its location was kept a secret in case any evil forces tried to search for it. But I think we know now." 

"Absolutely." responded He-Man. "They must have hidden it beneath the Falls of Harmony because it was somewhere that evil forces would never go." 

"But now, after all this time, it would appear that Skeletor has ventured beneath the falls and discovered it himself." 

"No, Skeletor didn't find it, I know that- he said he only acquired it last week. As far as I understand, his minion Merman found it, and he didn't uncover it either- according to what I heard, he was lured by it himself, and he contacted Skeletor when his underwater senses enabled him to recover from its effects. So if neither of them uncovered it, how did it start luring people again?" 

"My guess is that the jewel was buried, but somehow unearthed." said Equallus. "The first person to go missing was a fisherman. I saw him among the possessed people. So I assume that he must have unearthed it somehow, and that's what started the chaos." 

"That would make sense," said He-Man, piecing everything together in his mind. He was finally beginning to understand everything that had been happening beneath the falls. Equallus' story also explained the hanging skeletons within the caverns. The snake-like skeleton he had seen earlier must have been that of the Snake Man who cast the spell on the jewel, and the other skeletons must be those of his disciples. "So now that Skeletor is using the jewel and its effects for his own ends, we must do our best to put a stop to his evil. Since we can't destroy the jewel, we're gonna have to find some way of breaking the spell. So what did you-" 

He was suddenly cut off as a horde of the possessed Equamorians burst in without warning, gripping both his arms and yanking him out of the cavern. 

"So, there you are, He-Man," said Skeletor, appearing out of the shadows as the possessed creatures gripped He-Man tightly, digging their fingernails into his muscles. Looking behind him, He-Man saw another small group of them dragging Equallus out of the cavern. "Been hiding from my army, have you? Don't you want to see your big surprise- as Merman has just acquired for us!" 

He stepped aside, as the ground beneath them shook heavily. The sound of a huge, colossal footfall echoed throughout all of the caverns. The ground shook further with the sound of another footfall, and an enormous, terrifying shape filled the horizon as it moved steadily through the tunnel. As the shape came closer He-Man saw two huge, watery red eyes, a head covered in razor sharp fins and green scales, and an enormous open mouth from which blood oozed, dripping from colossal blade-like fangs. 

"He-Man, meet the cause of your destruction- the legendary sea demon, the Kharalius!" declared Skeletor. And indeed it was the Kharalius- He-Man recognised it from the books. Skeletor's eyes blazed in Equallus' direction, and he said to He-Man, "I don't know who your friend is or where he came from, but he will perish too!" Then turning to Merman, who emerged through the tunnel alongside the Kharalius, he said "You have done well to lure the Kharalius, Merman- and now this great beast is as possessed by the power of the jewel as the Equamorians are!" He opened his fist to reveal the jewel in the palm of his hand. "I think I just might promote you after all!" 

"My pleasure, Skeletor!" said Merman. 

"Now, destroy He-Man!" shouted Skeletor, as the great beast moved towards He-Man, almost as tempted by He-Man's power as it was by the jewel. Together with a whole host of the possessed Equamorians, the beast came rampaging towards He-Man. 

Beside him, He-Man saw that Equallus still appeared calm and calculated, in spite of what was going on before his eyes. He-Man, too, was doing his best to retain his calm. "You've forgotten one thing, Skeletor." he said. "I refuse to attack the Equamorians because I respect their true desires for peace. And I refuse to attack Teela because she is my close friend. But this creature is just a raging animal naturally- so it won't deter me from doing THIS!" In a flash, he pulled back his fist, then propelled his entire body forward, smashing the creature between the eyes with his fist. In spite of its size, by which He-Man was tiny in comparison, the Kharalius was stunned by He-Man's blow, shocked by how much incredible strength was contained within this man who appeared to be a mere mortal. The creature took several seconds to collect itself. 

"Quickly- run for it while the beast is confused!" said He-Man, and he and Equallus ran swiftly through the tunnels, followed by Battle Cat. 

"So, running away?" laughed Skeletor in mockery. "Typical move for someone as feeble as yourself! It will do you no good- before long, you will be nothing but a heap of broken bone and ripped flesh!" An evil laugh echoed through the caverns, then Skeletor called to the Kharalius, "Keep moving- we will destroy him!" and together with the beast, he and Merman followed He-Man through the tunnels, the Kharalius' eyes fixated on the jewel. The possessed Equamorians followed alongside the beast, also craving the jewel. 

He-Man, Battle Cat and Equallus eventually reached the cavern they had been in before, with the throne carved into the rocky wall. He-Man's sword was still hovering in mid-air in the center of the cavern, and there was still a small group of the possessed people trying to reach it. 

Noticing the skeleton hanging from the ceiling, with the snake-like head, Equallus remarked, "So, that must be the skeleton of the very sorcerer who caused all this chaos in the first place. That's the one historical event I would change at this minute if I had the chance." 

"I know," replied He-Man, "but there must be some way we can reverse the effects of the jewel. I'm just going to follow your example and keep as calm as I can. What we need to work out is…" 

Before he could finish, the Kharalius caught up with them and came stomping into the cavern, Skeletor leading it on with the jewel. The moment that the great sea creature saw the sword, its hideous reptilian eyes opened wide, and it accelerated its pace, moving as swiftly as it could towards the sword. The possessed Equamorians also scuttled rapidly across the cavern, and began frantically reaching into the air to grasp the sword, but it was too high for any of them. 

Skeletor, followed by Merman, rushed to the other side of the cavern, still holding the jewel in his palm. "Everything you desire is in here!" he shouted to the horde of possessed creatures. "It is all yours- especially that sword and its master!" His eyes blazed red with triumph, and he raised his arms above his head, and laughed "Soon my army will destroy you, He-Man- and I will possess the whole of Eternia with my jewel, and rule this planet all myself!!!" 

"Take cover, Equallus!" shouted He-Man, dodging back to face the army of possessed creatures. "I will fight the beast and do my best not to hurt your people!" 

Equallus dodged back behind He-Man, and said, "Although it is not my people's custom to fight, I will be more than happy to assist you with fighting the demon if it is necessary!" 

The Kharalius roared with determination as it looked upwards at the sword. Angrily, Battle Cat ran up to it and roared back in its face, then reared up and clawed at its scaly flesh, pushing it partially backwards, away from the sword. Chunks of scaly, green skin fell from its face to the ground, green blood oozing from the cuts down its face, some of it trickling into its mouth and mingling with the human blood which covered its fangs. Infuriated by the attack, the Kharalius lifted its right foot and hit Battle Cat in the face, knocking him aside. 

Summoning all his strength, He-Man ran towards the Kharalius, leaped upwards and delivered it a strong blow in the middle of its forehead. But the creature was more prepared for the effect of the attack than it had been for He-Man's previous one, and quickly slashed one of the fins on the side of its head, hitting He-Man in mid-air and knocking him to the ground. He-Man quickly got back to his feet, and the Kharalius opened its mouth wide, as if prepared to devour him abruptly. He-Man acted quickly, and raised both his fists, bringing them crashing down to the ground heavily, hitting the ground so hard that it shook, the Kharalius stumbling back in shock, the possessed Equamorians losing their footage and falling backwards, stumbling over one another. He-Man then raised his right leg, prepared to kick the creature in the jaw, but the Kharalius was quick enough to dodge the attack, and with a mighty effort the creature lifted the upper half of its body from the ground, reached its huge head into mid-air, and seized the sword in its mouth! As it began to lower its head to the ground once again, He-Man prepared to dodge back, but was not quick enough, and the upper half of the creature's body landed right on top of him! 

"He-Man!" cried Equallus in shock. 

Skeletor laughed in triumph. "At last… Eternia's defender is about to be crushed to his doom!" Beside him, Merman smiled with pride, aware that Skeletor would definitely promote him if He-Man was killed. 

But within a matter of seconds, He-Man emerged from beneath the head of the creature, seeming unshaken and relatively unhurt. "You should know by now that my body is strong enough to withstand the weight of an overgrown sea reptile!" he said, and got to his feet, ready to face the creature again. 

"Maybe so, but… it still has your sword!" 

And indeed it did. The Kharalius held He-Man's sword firmly between its teeth, perched between its bloody fangs. The creature opened its teeth, and let the sword tip over onto its long, blue tongue, as if about to swallow it. 

"I must retrieve the sword!" said He-Man, "I don't fancy having to go into this beast's belly to get it!" 

He-Man sprang forward, reaching for the sword, but at the same time, a whole host of the possessed people- Teela included, also sprang at the weapon. As they reached for it, the creature bit down, and the possessed people withdrew their arms in pain, blood dripping from them rapidly, forming huge crimson blots on the ground. 

Equallus sprang forth in shock, urging his people back as carefully as possible. "He-Man, you must stop this madness!" he cried. "This creature could eat all my people if this persists!" 

"Don't worry, my friend," said He-Man, unhurt by the bite, which had produced only a small cut across his arm, still in the creature's mouth. "I will retrieve the sword in no time!" He reached his arm further, sliding it quickly along the creature's tongue, then he grabbed the hilt of the sword and swiftly pulled it out. The creature bit down again, but it was not quick enough- the sword was free from its mouth, although dripping with a mixture of green and red blood together with the beast's saliva. He-Man was holding the sword loosely by the hilt, but before he could tighten his grip on it, one of the possessed Equamorians leaped forward and snatched it from He-Man's grip. Another of the Equamorians rushed towards her and tried to wrestle it out of her grip, scraping at her arms. Then another of them attempted to push the two aside, trying to seize the sword for himself. Another of them- the bearded one who had seized it earlier- ran towards them with desperation and successfully wrestled it free from the other three, holding it above his head in triumph. The other three charged at him, trying to get it back- but then another of the Equamorians abruptly bit at the bearded man's arm, and he dropped the sword, which fell back into the clutches of the woman who had seized it from He-Man. Then three others rushed towards them, and joined the struggle for the sword… then Teela entered the fight, high-kicking frantically at the others… then five others came dashing towards it, becoming engulfed in the struggle… and before long, the entire cavern was filled with the furious sounds of battle as all the creatures fought and struggled to obtain the sword for themselves, the Kharalius stomping its feet amidst them, desiring the sword for itself. 

"I had a bad feeling this would happen!" said He-Man, shaking his head as he and Equallus frantically dodged the struggle that was ensuing around them. "All of them want power solely for themselves- so now that the sword's within their reach, they're fighting among themselves!" 

"Stop!" shouted Skeletor, holding out the jewel, "I command you, cease fighting and obey me!" 

"It's no use!" said Merman, as the creatures continued fighting, throwing one another from one side of the cavern to the other as they fought over the sword. "Now that they've gone wild over the sword, they're immune to even your commands!" 

"My magic will see to this!" said Skeletor, and he raised his arms, shooting out a purple beam of magic from his left hand towards the creatures. "Obey me, I am your master! Cease fighting!" 

But the creatures had gone berserk, and their lust for power prevented them from feeling any effect from Skeletor's magic. Their minds were concentrated on nothing other than obtaining the sword. 

The cavern was engulfed in entire chaos. The gruesome creatures flung their bodies over one another, hurling their arms violently towards the sword. Each one who managed to get their hands on it would find themselves instantly attacked brutally by the entire remainder of the possessed army. Blood and flesh flew rapidly through the air, splattering over the walls of the cavern, and amidst it all, the Kharalius grew angrier by the second, stomping its feet rapidly, swishing its gigantic tail from side to side, knocking the Equamorians violently across the cavern. The entire place was a mess of flesh, blood and hurtling bodies. 

Skeletor held out his arm, and his Havoc Staff materialised within his grasp, out of thin air. "I will stop this!" he declared, and fired a sequence of blasts from the staff towards the cacophony that engulfed the cavern. 

"Skeletor, don't!" shouted He-Man. "You'll enrage them even more!" 

Ignoring He-Man's warning, Skeletor continuously fired blast after blast at the creatures, and indeed they only grew angrier, until eventually several of them were so infuriated that they sprang towards Skeletor himself! 

"STOP! Get back!" screamed Skeletor, but it was no use- each and every one of the possessed creatures had been driven psychotically out of control. The raging beasts clawed at Skeletor's chest, ripping at his cape. He-Man, Equallus and Battle Cat dodged aside as the gruesome creatures hurled their bodies violently around them, the sword being thrown in all directions. Among them, Teela fought to gain the sword as violently and mindlessly as the rest of them, blood dripping from her arms, her legs covered entirely in deep cuts and bite wounds. 

"Quickly- we've got to get out of here and find a way to put a stop to this!" said He-Man determinedly, and together with Equallus and Battle Cat, he ran from the cavern, and they hurried through the vast maze of tunnels, taking refuge in one of the smaller caverns, free from the danger. 

"It's absolute chaos in there!" said Equallus, "And it's distressing to see my people fight one another in this way, in this kind of state!" 

"I know how you feel, when my close friend Teela is among them." said He-Man, his brow bursting with sweat. 

"Of all evil schemes from history, this is a bad one for Skeletor to resurrect since it's flawed from the start," said Equallus, "No matter how controlled the possessed people are at first, it's inevitable that their greed and desire for superiority will result in them fighting one another. Like all evil beings, they want everything for themselves alone. Now it seems that history is repeating itself. Even Skeletor risks being killed now, with his attempt to control them- that's exactly the way the Snake Sorcerer was killed all those years ago." 

"Then we've gotta put a stop to this before anyone is killed. This mayhem was stopped when it occurred back in history, so it can be stopped now. You said something about some hero managing to reverse the effects of the jewel- have you any idea how he did it?" 

"No one has ever held any knowledge of how he succeeded," Equallus replied, "As I said, he was murdered just after he managed to restore the people to normal. The Snake Sorcerer's allies stabbed him to death out of fury, before they poisoned themselves. He was never able to reveal how he had done it." 

"That's downright inconvenient, given our current predicament," said He-Man, "Didn't anyone even pick up a hint of how he did it?" 

"I'm afraid not," Equallus shook his head. "The people took several hours to recover after their trance lifted, and had no memory of how they were returned to normal." 

"Then we're gonna have to somehow work out how he did it. Can you remember anything from the historical account that could provide us with some sort of clue?" 

Equallus flashed his mind back to what he knew from the history books. "Well, there was one curious factor surrounding his death. As he was dying, he pulled out a roll of parchment and began to write something on it, but he died before he could complete it. According to legend, the roll of parchment was buried with his body, in a secluded spot somewhere near the shore." 

He-Man's eyes opened wide in titillation, as he suddenly remembered the skeleton he had found buried beneath the clifftop before he was lured beneath the falls! "_Of course!_" he declared excitedly, "I found… er, Prince Adam found a skeleton buried within the clifftop while he was investigating it! The skeleton was holding a roll of parchment with something written on it!" 

"By the Elders, then that could be a vital aid to us! Does he still have the roll of parchment?" 

"He gave it to me! If I remember correctly, I tucked it into my belt…" he fumbled about in his belt, hoping to Grayskull that it was still there. He found it, and pulled it out hastily. "Here it is!" he cried, and unrolled it, revealing the ancient inscription written on it. "But it's written in the ancient language, which I don't read, so I've no idea what it says!" 

"I do read ancient Eternian," said Equallus, "Hand it to me and I should be able to translate it!" 

He-Man handed the roll to Equallus, and Equallus read out, "It says 'Reverse the Spell with L-'… then it cuts off. Now what could that mean?" 

He-Man quickly pondered to himself what the inscription could be trying to say. Then, he had an idea. "I have a possible clue what it might be saying." he said, "Follow me back to the cavern and I'll put my theory into practice!" 

They swiftly ran back to the cavern where all the chaos was occurring. The possessed Equamorians, and Teela, were still engulfed in ferocious combat, which Skeletor and Merman were now caught up in as the entranced creatures threw themselves around the cavern, attacking one another wildly. The Kharalius had gone haywire, spitting a kind of venom rapidly at all its opponents. Several of the Equamorians lay on the ground, dazed and injured, in pools of blood, which seeped from their many wounds. 

"He-Man!" cried Skeletor, upon seeing his enemy enter the cavern. "My scheme has spun out of control- I know we are enemies, but I offer you all the money and riches you desire if you put a stop to this chaos!" 

"I desire no money or riches, Skeletor!" He-Man said. "You do not understand that these things are merely material possessions. You're as blind as these creatures- you don't realise there is more to life! But I am doing my best to stop this… I need Teela to help me." He rushed into the supreme orgy of violence, and gently gripped his right arm around the torso of Teela, who was wrestling violently with a possessed man. He pulled her free from the fight, and into the tunnel just outside the cavern. She struggled against his grip, but he looked straight into her bloodshot eyes and addressed her as lovingly as he could. 

"Teela…" he began, "It's me… He-Man. Remember me…?" 

As hideously distorted as her eyes were, he looked deeper and deeper into them, aware that Teela's true self lay somewhere within this gruesome exterior. Speaking softly and calmly, he continued, "You must break free from this trance. Resist the urge to attack me. You know there's more to life than power… we're all equal. You and I are friends… remember?" He lightly stroked her shoulder blades, keeping his gaze fixed directly into her eyes. Her struggling became less frantic, and she calmed down slightly. "Come on Teela… break free… you must remember me…" he concentrated on beaming all his sentiments of love towards the possessed Teela, "We've been close friends for many years… you've always meant a lot to me. Come on, Teela… regain touch with yourself… unite with me again… we have a special bond… feel it again…" 

Her eyes became more relaxed in their sockets, and her eyelids fell slightly, covering them at the top. Her lips, still smeared by her lipstick, stopped twitching, and her breathing became less hoarse, shallower and freer… 

"That's it, Teela… feel our bond… feel our friendship…" He looked deeper and deeper into her eyes, until he saw traces of her true self within them, "Just concentrate… recover yourself…" 

He-Man's deep gaze was cut off as her eyes gently closed. He pulled back from her, and released her from his grip. Her posture relaxed, her arms gently swung as she released them from tension, and her legs relaxed at the knees. She breathed out one long breath of refreshment, and her eyes flickered open. "…He-Man?" she uttered. 

He-Man and Equallus clenched their fists together in triumph. "YES!" they shouted jubilantly, and gave one another high-five. 

"I knew it!" said He-Man. "The inscription meant to say 'Reverse the Spell with Love'. By beaming my love and friendship towards Teela, I helped her break through the trance!" 

"Wh… what's been happening?" said Teela, half-dazed, curiously observing the countless stream of cuts and bruises over her body. She put one hand to her head. "I've… my head hurts… I can't remember anything…" 

"It's alright, Teela," He-Man said, and slung his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "You've been the victim of a trance, but you're safe now." Her eyes were still bloodshot, but they had regained their softness, and their usual loving expression. He-Man looked up at Equallus. "She's going to take a while to recover." he said. "Best take her to safety before we deal with your people. Battle Cat, can you carry her to a safe spot, near the shore?" 

Battle Cat nodded his large, armored head, and He-Man gently lifted Teela and placed her over Battle Cat's saddle. "There you go." he said, "Just relax by the shore. You'll be fine before long." 

Battle Cat slowly and carefully carried Teela off through the tunnels, and He-Man turned to Equallus, ready for the finale. "Now to return your people to normal!" he said. 

"Leave that to me, He-Man!" said Equallus. "I'm assuming that our hero of legend helped the people by addressing them all at once and beaming out his sentiments of love. So I will do just that- what better love can there be to cure them than that of their leader?" 

"Just what I was thinking," said He-Man, "Let's get going!" 

They made their way back to the cavern where the struggle was raging. The possessed Equamorians were still fighting furiously over He-Man's sword, blood splattering in all directions across the cavern. Skeletor and Merman were still caught up in the fight, their superior strength keeping them on top for the time, while the Kharalius was rapidly scurrying in all directions, spitting its venom and swiping its fins. 

Equallus stood before the raging battle, spread out his arms, and calmly called, "My people, hear my word!" But none of the Equamorians responded- they just continued hurling themselves wildly at one another in fury. 

"It's no good, He-Man!" Equallus said, "While they're fighting, they're oblivious to my word!" 

"We need to find a way to hold their attention," said He-Man. "I know- my sword!" He swiftly leaped into the crowd of fighting creatures, and yanked his sword from the grip of a frantic possessed woman. Then he stood alongside Equallus, before the entire gathering of Equamorians, and instantly all of them stopped fighting, even the Kharalius, and turned to face He-Man and Equallus, their eyes all transfixed on the sword, their object of desire. Skeletor and Merman quickly backed away, to the rear of the cavern, both their bodies dripping with blood. 

The Equamorians all looked ready to attack He-Man for the sword, but Equallus quickly spoke out, his voice full of love and compassion, "My people, listen to me. I am Equallus, one of your leaders. You are the people of Equamore. Believers in eternal peace, eternal unison between all living creatures. Our kingdom is sworn to eternal harmony between all its residents." 

The Equamorians and the Kharalius inched their way forth, eyes fixated on the sword. Equallus' words were calming them slightly, slowing them down, but they were not yet fully receiving his sentiments of love. As they moved closer, He-Man carefully and slowly inched backwards, out of the cavern entrance and through the tunnels, to keep himself and Equallus safe from attack. Realising what He-Man was doing, Equallus did the same. As the Equamorians moved forth, Skeletor and Merman followed, curious as to what He-Man and Equallus were doing. 

"You never fight, and you never hate anyone else. We are all connected by love. There is no personal value in riches. They are but material possessions. Power is not something to be abused. There is no such thing as superiority between humans. We are all equal… therefore, we live in equality. Transcend the spell, my people, my friends. We are the people of Equamore… and we live in equality." 

The gruesome, twisted expressions began to fall from the faces of the Equamorians, which became calmer, firmer. Their eyelids began to fall, as the maniacal stares faded. The sounds of hoarse breathing and grunting grew lesser and lesser. Their walks became more relaxed, their movements less frenetic. Their glances shifted from the sword, and towards Equallus instead. They were becoming transfixed by his love. Even the Kharalius appeared calmer, its gaze also directed towards Equallus rather than the sword. 

"That's it, my people. Feel your unity. Regain your compassion. There is no need for violence… no need for war. No need to struggle for power. We are all as powerful as one another… we all have the power of love. Love holds us together. Concentrate, all of you… feel your love." 

As they moved further through the tunnels, He-Man heard the sound of running water behind him. He took a quick glance behind, and saw that they had reached the main cavern, directly behind the falls. He stopped moving backwards. The Equamorians were rapidly losing their animalistic appearances. Their expressions were now relaxed, their breathing steady. All of them were gazing directly at Equallus. 

"Unite, my people, and break the spell. We are the Equamorians. Eternal advocates of love." 

Several of the Equamorians collapsed to the ground with a mixture of exhaustion and relief. Others blinked their eyes rapidly, their eyes regaining their humanity as they recovered their senses. The trance had been lifted. 

"Equallus…" said one man, "What's… happened? I feel… strange… I can't remember anything…" 

"Have I been fighting?" said a woman, "I'm covered in bruises and cuts… what in the name of Equamore have I been doing?" 

"Do not worry, my people," said Equallus. "Just sit down, and let yourselves relax. You have all been victims of an evil magic, but it has done no severe long-term harm. None of you have done anything to be ashamed of. Relax, and let yourselves recover." 

Almost all at once, countless numbers of the Equamorians, each of who now appeared completely different from before, finally released from the evil spell, allowed themselves to collapse to the ground, each breathing out immense sighs of relief and compassion. "I don't know what happened…" He-Man heard one man say, "…but I'm really glad it's over." The cavern was filled by sounds of relieved breathing, as an atmosphere of relaxation spread throughout. The calm, soothing sound of the running falls enhanced the atmosphere, helping the Equamorians to relieve themselves. 

Even the Kharalius seemed relatively calm. Its eyes were half-shut, and it seemed confused, but also relieved. It was free from the spell, and it seemed that Equallus' sentiments of love had even been capable of touching a raging sea beast. 

Equallus turned to He-Man, and shook his hand. "Thank you, He-Man." he said. "You have saved my people from the evil of the ancients. I am forever in your debt." 

"You owe me nothing, my friend." said He-Man. "Your own bravery and compassion has saved the day as much as I have. You are a true hero." 

"And as for Skeletor…" said Equallus, turning to scour the cavern for the sight of the evil warlord, "…could he have been convinced by all this to turn from his evil ways?" 

The Lord of Destruction emerged from the shadows, clenching his fist in anger, his eyes blazing furiously within the sockets of his gruesome skull. His cape was in tatters, having been torn in the fight, and there were countless tears in his clothing, from which blood poured from cuts in his blue skin. Merman was at his side, green blood oozing from the many cuts within his scaly skin. 

"You have foiled another of my schemes, He-Man!" Skeletor raged. "I don't know why you and your puny friends waste your time on these foolish sentiments of love you've been preaching about… but someday I'll show you the pointlessness of your ways! Just you wait until the day that I show you what power _really_ is!" Then he turned to Merman, furiously. "This scheme you persuaded me into carrying out was flawed from the start, you fool!" he roared. "This jewel is useless!" he angrily threw the jewel to the ground, and Equallus quickly dived and caught it, before it could shatter. "Your discovery has done nothing for me! Forget everything about promotion- you will feel my wrath for this!" 

"Oh will I, Skeletor?" said Merman, mockingly. "Well, you'll have to deal with my friend first!" he turned to the Kharalius, and quickly used his power over sea creatures to control it. "Attack him, great beast of the ocean!" 

The Kharalius began to charge at Skeletor, and the ground shook as it moved towards him. Skeletor spun round in panic to face the demon. "Merman, you fool! Get this thing away from me!" 

"You really expect me to do that, Skeletor?" Merman gurgled, laughing to himself. "No, I'd rather not- I thought it's about time you felt my wrath for a change! Get after him!" 

Skeletor spread his arms out, about to use a spell to teleport himself away, but he was too slow, and the Kharalius came charging after him, emitting a roar from its huge mouth, and Skeletor ran, straight through the falls, followed by the beast and its master Merman. Once they were gone from the cavern, there was a huge splash outside, and He-Man peered out through the falls, to see a terrified Skeletor swimming frantically for his life, pursued by a series of huge razor-sharp fins protruding from the water. Turning back to Equallus, He-Man said, "It looks like it'll be some time before we'll be hearing from Skeletor again- and probably even longer until he and Merman next work together!" 

"It's just a shame that my sentiments of love could not reach _him_ at all!" said Equallus. "Hopefully someday he will realise the error of his ways. And as for the jewel…" he held out his hand, in which was positioned the gleaming crimson jewel which had caused all the chaos, "…what shall we do with it? We can't destroy it, as it'd release the corruption held inside- and if we just bury it again, it could easily be uncovered someday and cause more chaos!" 

"Don't worry," said He-Man, "I'll take the jewel to Castle Grayskull. Deep within Grayskull's walls, it'll be firmly concealed from all human touch, and it'll remain lost within the castle forever, so no evil force can ever touch it again. Equamore is safe… for eternity." 

"Thank you, He-Man!" said Equallus. "Now I must attend to my people. I'll have them all taken to a medical center within the kingdom, so they can all recover and their injuries can be treated. Do you want me to take Teela there too?" 

"I'll take Teela with me," said He-Man, "The Sorceress will help to heal her at Grayskull, then I'll take her back to the palace to recover." 

"Then thank you once again for your help, He-Man!" said Equallus. "I think we have proved today that no matter how strong or mindless the evil desires for power can grow, the power of love and compassion will always triumph over them in the end. Equamore will continue to live in peace and solitude for many centuries to come… but if you ever wish to visit our kingdom, or desire my help, I am more than happy to oblige!" he turned to the people, as they recovered on the ground of the cavern. "My people, let's hear it for our hero of the day- He-Man!" 

In spite of their weakness and exhaustion, the Equamorians all managed to raise their fists in triumph, and a huge cheer ran through them all! 

"Thank you, my friends!" said He-Man. "It is my pleasure to have helped you!" 

* * *

In the Royal Palace of Eternos, as evening fell, Prince Adam knocked on the door of Teela's room, where Teela was recovering from the trance that had possessed her in Equamore. Her wounds had now been healed by The Sorceress, and she was now recollecting her memory. 

"Come in," came Teela's voice after Adam knocked. 

Adam entered the room. Teela was lying on the bed, her face fresh and calm, the redness almost completely gone from her eyes. 

"Adam," she said, "good to be seeing you again… have you _heard_ about what He-Man and I went through in Equamore?" 

"I know everything, Teela!" said Adam. "He-Man, er, told me. I'm glad I summoned He-Man instead of going beneath the falls myself, or I'd have turned into a power-hungry monster as well!" 

"Well, you missed out on the action again," said Teela, "and it's a shame you weren't as brave as He-Man, so you couldn't have helped him save the day… but hey, I guess it's asking too much. I like you just as you are." 

"Well… hey, thanks, and I like you the way you are too… at least you're not jumping down my throat this time!" 

Teela laughed lightly. "Don't worry, Adam. You know I never mean anything really when I lose my temper. I think I've learned a lot from my visit to Equamore. The Equamorians have the right approach to life. Never let anything stress you out, when there's really no need to. I'm gonna try not to snap at you so much from now on. And hey, if I ever do…" 

"Remember you don't mean to hurt me?" 

"Yeah, and give me a good kick in the face!" 

The two of them laughed out loud. This was the real Teela that Adam was seeing now. Behind her usual feisty, aggressive and hot-headed façade was this, the loving, compassionate and good-humored girl she was at heart. 

"And to think I actually went really psychotic and power-mad for that length of time!" she said, amazed. "I have virtually no memory of it, but I can't believe I could go like that, even under a spell!" 

"Well, at least it wasn't under natural circumstances," said Adam, "I mean, people like Skeletor, they may not be as mindless as the people under the jewel's spell… but they are just as detached from themselves, with the way they're all caught up in greed and corruption. At least we're not like them… and hopefully they'll see the light someday, because like the possessed people, they always end up just fighting among themselves." 

"More people should follow the Equamorians' ways," said Teela, "And speaking of Equamore, I'd really like to go back there soon. It's so refreshing and calm there… you and I should go there for a vacation some time. Maybe bring He-Man, and we can all have a good rest there." 

"Well, we've got a chance to go there pretty soon- just half an hour ago, my father received a message from Equallus inviting you, me, and He-Man to Equamore for a celebration over He-Man's victory! I doubt if He-Man will make it, knowing him, but I'm sure well up for it. I'm guessing you are too?" 

"Wow, definitely!" she said excitedly. "After we've met the Equamorians, we can go and relax on the beach, just you and me, and chill out completely… that's what I like best… totally free from stress! Forget all the times I snap at you, Adam. Even if you're not as brave or strong as He-Man, you're always fun to be with!" 

Adam smiled. He wished he could tell her the truth, that as He-Man, he had saved her himself… but someday she would know, and hopefully that day wouldn't be far off. And in the meantime, she was in the best state he could have hoped for… totally relaxed, totally in touch with her true, loving self. And best of all, she liked him for who he was, even though she didn't yet know the full truth. Their visit to Equamore had done both of them good, and Adam couldn't wait for their next trip there. It was the best place to strip away all the pointless negative thoughts that the struggle between good and evil imposed on them day by day… and to remind themselves that no matter what problems they may face, love would always bond them together. And as Adam looked into Teela's beautiful blue eyes, observing her smooth, delicate skin and her gentle smile… he could feel that he and Teela especially were truly bonded together by love. 


End file.
